


Rey Goes To Ren

by littlelady85



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Eventual Reylo, F/M, Fluff, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Renperor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-04-17 21:53:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14198451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelady85/pseuds/littlelady85
Summary: This picks up after TLJ. Rey decides to take a risk (again) and go to Kylo Ren to negotiate with him and save the Resistance. Kylo  ain't having it. Now Rey is stuck on Kylo's ship and needs a plan.I welcome comments! Especially positive ones :-)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm writing this one chapter at a time, as the characters reveal themselves to me (and to one another). I tried to resist but these two just won't leave me alone! So now I have to know how they resolve their standoff.

“You were foolish to come here,” he said flatly from behind her.

  
Rey jumped and whirled around at the sound of his voice.

There he stood, his face a cold, impenetrable mask. Her heart skipped a beat at his expression. She had come here expecting to be able to reason with him, to remind him of the closeness they had felt with one another in the hut on Ach-To, and to persuade him to make peace with the Resistance.

  
But now as she looked at him, she felt the first stab of doubt. What if she had made a terrible mistake? What if she didn’t know his heart as well as she had thought?

  
“I wanted to talk to you about negotiating,” she responded. “I thought that perhaps we could….” Her voice trailed off as he continued to look at her with that unreadable look in his eyes.

  
“Ben,” she started again, hesitantly taking a step in his direction.

  
A long moment passed as his eyes shifted. His jaw clenched and he ground out one word. “Don’t.”  
His fury was unmistakable. Rey swallowed hard and looked down.

  
“Don’t pretend that I mean something to you, that you care,” he spat. He walked towards her. “You were only using me to help your precious friends in the Resistance.” He stopped a hair’s breath away from her face.

“You’re just like the rest of them,” he said in a low voice, his chest heaving.

  
Rey closed her eyes, ashamed. She knew he felt betrayed.

 She’d been so focused on finding a way to stop the war, to stop the death. On impulse she had flown to the Supremacy, thinking that if she could convince Ben to turn from Snoke he would automatically help the Resistance instead.

  
Then when he had refused the choice she had tried to force him to make, she’d left him. And now here she was, about to repeat the whole thing over again.  
She knew he could sense the truth of his words, and when she looked up at him again, the pain in his eyes confirmed it.

She had wounded him, deeply.

  
Tears stung her own eyes as she looked him in the eyes steadily. “You’re right.” She brushed the moisture that had fallen to her cheeks, embarrassed. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I only wanted….I thought that you would be the one to help us defeat him. I thought-“

  
“You thought I’d join you to defeat the First Order,” he finished for her, his eyes glittering with anger. “You were wrong. The Resistance has taken enough from me. I won’t let it happen again.” He turned to walk away.

  
Rey didn’t know what possessed her, but in the next moment she found herself reaching out to grab his arm as he turned. “Please stop!”

  
He stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around. There was a long silence.

  
“You have two choices.” He finally said. “I can have my guards escort you back to your ship and you can return to your friends. Or you can stay here.”

  
He turned and looked at her steadily, the cool exterior back in place. “But you should know that if you do, I’ll be getting every detail about the Resistance’s location from you. By force if necessary.”

  
A shiver ran down Rey’s spine as he said those last words. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to withstand him this time.

  
But she had to try.

  
Everyone’s life depended on it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think about his characterization. I'm trying to stay true to who he is in canon as I understand him to be.

Kylo Ren paced his bedchamber a few hours later. His fists and jaw were clenched tight, and his face was starting to ache from the strain.

But still he walked, back and forth, and back again. His blood was pounding and he wanted nothing more than to slam his fist against the wall, but he hated to looks he got when his officers passed by him. Everyone treated him like they were afraid he might reach out and strangle them at any moment.

  
As well they should, he thought bitterly. They had seen him lose his temper several times now. He had loathed himself every time he lost control. It was the complete opposite of what he wanted to do, but ever since his path had crossed Rey’s, he found himself off-balance. Instead of the cool, calculating demeanor he had been known for previously, he found himself feeling emotions he had successfully held at bay for years.

  
His steps slowed as he neared the shelf where he kept his most important possessions. He picked up the crushed helmet that had belonged to his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, who had been renamed Darth Vader when he joined the Sith. He sat on the edge of his bed, a long sigh welling up from deep inside him. He felt so desperately tired.

  
“Grandfather, show me the path I must walk. Show me how to rule,” he whispered.

  
He stared at the creases where the helmet had caved in so many years ago. He remembered the senators of the other republic whispering as they had passed by when he would visit Mother on the rare occasions Luke had allowed it.

  
“….looks so handsome….just like his grandfather.”

  
“Let’s hope he doesn’t turn out like him…” the two ladies had walked away but he remembered the looks they had exchanged with one another at the mention of Darth Vader: dread and fear.

  
That was how people looked at him now. Everyone aboard the Supremacy, and all the inhabitants of the villages he had crushed. Dread and fear: wasn’t that what he had always wanted? To be someone people paid attention to, someone they couldn’t ignore?

  
He stared at the helmet in his hand. In the end, Darth Vader chosen to save his son Luke, and betray his emperor.

  
The same way he had chosen to save Rey and betray Snoke.

  
Cursing, Kylo stood and dropped the helmet on the bed.

  
He had always considered that a weakness on his grandfather’s part, giving in to love and relinquishing his power in the Dark Side of the force for a son he hadn’t crossed path with in years.  
But now it seemed he was doomed to repeat history. He had just met Rey, and she was the cause of the constant churning of his emotions.

  
He wouldn’t allow himself to be tempted by her. He couldn’t. Not if he wanted to rule.

  
With that, he steeled himself and waved his hand towards the door of his bedchamber. It slid open and he strode through to the outer chamber where his steward waited.

  
“SN-283, tell the others to send the girl into the interrogation chamber. I want her prepped before I get there,” he commanded in a clipped tone.

He continued walking out into the hall without waiting for confirmation that his wishes were being obeyed. They feared him; there was no question that Rey would be there as he ordered.

  
All he had to do was stay focused on the objective and get the location of the Resistance from her as quickly as possible.

  
He had to prove once and for all that she would not defeat him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's POV

Rey found herself in a room very similar to the first one Kylo Ren had interrogated her in. The table she had been strapped to had thick metal braces that kept her wrists tightly in place. She couldn't even wriggle them an inch. Same with her ankles. There was even a leather strap across her waist holding her in place. Her back was starting to ache, but she clenched her teeth and forced herself to breathe deep breaths. 

_In, one, two, three, hold._

_Out, one, two, three._

She needed to think about how to get Kylo willing to negotiate with her when he arrived. It didn't look very promising, but she knew she had to try to keep her mental defenses up and try not to think about the Resistance, while giving him enough leeway to allow him to see that her intentions weren't malicious. 

Rey knew Kylo felt betrayed. She had seen it in his eyes when she had tried calling Luke's lighsaber to her in the throne room. 

He didn't know how hard it had been for her. 

When Snoke's lifeless body had split into two, she looked into his eyes and her heart raced. Her vision was coming true. He had stood with her against Snoke, had made the decision to kill him instead of killing her. 

She had never felt such relief and anticipation at the same time, not even when she and Finn had outrun the stormtroopers on Jakku. 

But when the realization that he was free of Snoke, of anyone, had dawned on him, she had felt the separation between them. 

His desire for control had been greater than his desire for-

Rey frowned. His desire for what? Her? What was it that she had hoped would happen? That they would fly off into the sunset together and ignore the war between the First Order and the only people willing to stand up to them? 

Rey sighed. The connection she had felt with Kylo, with  _Ben_ had been as real as the room she was in right now. She had felt his compassion for her when she told him what happened in the cave. When their hands had touched that night, over the fire, she had felt.....

She closed her eyes, remembering it. The warmth of his fingertips as they had touched hers. His dark brown eyes staring into hers as her mouth went dry and her heart started to pound. She had felt a longing for him in that moment. More than anything, she had wanted him to be right beside her, not just through their Force connection, but with her on Ach-To. 

She didn't know what to call it, this feeling that felt as if she had found the one person who could understand everything she felt without having to explain. The hoarseness of his voice when he said "You're not alone," had melted away the loneliness that had dogged her every step ever since her parents had left her alone. 

She felt  _safe_. It was just the two of them. He understood her, had seen the depths of her despair over the betrayal of her parents, and still reached for her. 

Rey blinked as she realized the moisture on her cheeks were tears. 

What was it about this man that made her feel these things? 

She quickly wiped them away as the door to the room swished open and Kylo himself strode into the harsh light of the room. 

He had made his choice. And she had made hers. There was no turning back now, for either of them...was there? 

She looked up as he slowed his steps and paused. Rey blushed as she realized he would guess she had been crying. 

"What happened here?" Kylo gruffly demanded as his gaze swept over her, lingering on her face, which she was sure was splotchy. Her eyes were probably red as well, she thought ruefully. 

"Nothing," she quickly replied, shaking her head. 

"Are you in pain?" he asked as he took hesitant steps closer to her. 

He reached a black-gloved hand out for her arm, then seemed to change his mind and drop it back to his side. The movement brought a whiff of his scent to her nose: a mix of pine, rain, and...something uniquely him. She remembered it from their first interrogation, when he had brought his face close to hers as he concentrated on her thoughts. 

Her thoughts snapped back to the present as she realized his mouth was moving.

"...I can remove your restraints. Just....stay put," he said warningly. His eyes stared back at her expectantly. 

Rey managed to jerk her head yes. The next moment she felt the metal braces snap back. She rubbed her hands over wrists and winced as the skin on her inner wrist chafed. 

She reached down to rub her ankles and realized the leather strap was still in place. Kylo noticed it too. She saw the same hesitation from earlier cloud his eyes. He met her gaze and swallowed. 

"Can you remove this strap too? I'd really like to stretch out a bit." 

Kylo nodded without a word and stepped forward. His hand stretched out towards her again and he bent his head as he worked to undo the strap at the side of her hip. 

The brush of his fingers in such an intimate place sent tiny shivers through her. She clenched her teeth as she watched him work the leather out of the buckle that held it tightly in place.  _I wont simper like a fool,_ she thought fiercely. He was probably about to torture her for information after all. 

She needed to concentrate on getting him to see reason. 

After what seemed like an hour, the strap finally fell away. Kylo let out a loud sigh as if relieved and stepped back. 

A few locks of hair were still over his forehead. Rey wondered what he would think if she reached out and smoothed them back. 

Would he look at her as if she were crazy? Or would he let her do it? 

Rey felt herself blush again as she realized Kylo had caught her staring. He cleared his throat and shifted his attention to something on the wall behind her. 

"I don't want to hurt you, Rey." he began stiffly. "I never have. But we're on opposite sides, and you coming here...." he trailed off, then shook his head. "None of my officers expect you to make it off this base alive unless you give us useful information. Do you understand?" 

Rey bit her lip. There was no turning back after all. 

"I won't help you and your men use your ships to kill people I care about," she said quietly, looking directly at him. "I'd rather die here alone," she finished calmly. 

His eyes bore into hers as if looking for weakness. "You're a fool," he snapped. "You'd give your life for people who refuse to help bring order to the galaxy."

"That's not true!" Rey fought to keep her voice steady. "They're good people, and they want the fighting to stop. Why is that so hard to believe?" she paused, waiting for him to answer. 

Kylo's gaze seemed to brush her skin as he stared at her face. "Why? You really want to know?" he flung the words at her like a challenge. 

"Yes, I do," Rey replied. 

Kylo whirled away and shoved a hand through his hair. He paced the room several times, his long legs and stride making the room seem cramped. 

He seemed to be gathering the courage to say something. Rey felt his roiling emotions, the same way she had in the elevator when she had arrived on the Supremacy. 

He stopped in front of the small window, his back to her. Moments passed by as Rey waited for his response. 

Just when she started thinking he wasn't going to answer, his voice came to her. He spoke in a low voice, and she could tell he was struggling to keep his emotions under control as he spoke. 

"I was 10 when my mother sent me to live with Luke. After that I saw her once or twice a year, for a few hours, or when she would send a comm." 

Rey bit her lip, feeling the hurt he was trying so hard to mask with his bitter tone. 

"That wasn't what hurt the most," he added as if he had read her mind. "What hurt most...." he trailed off as his voice choked on the words. 

"She was ashamed of me," he whispered after a moment. "Her friends on the Senate, they would whisper to her about me when they thought I wasn't listening or didn't understand."

"Whisper what?" Rey asked. But she already knew what they had said. It was the same thing she had said to him in the forest. The words he had repeated back to her when she was on Ach-To. The words that had brought hurt to his eyes. 

"That she had to be careful with me, that I had Darth Vader's blood in me, and that if I had the wrong influences I could turn out exactly like him: a monster." Kylo hung his head and blew out a shaky breath. 

Rey found herself approaching him, her heart sickening with sadness for the little boy who had heard such ugly words. She laid her hand gently on his arm. "You're _not_ a monster," she said firmly. 

"Rey, please stop. I've made choices. Killed people. Slaughtered entire villages. I _am_ what they said, and worse." He turned to her, his eyes red and full of unshed tears.

"No,  _you_ listen. I don't care what anyone said about you to your mother. I don't care what you heard all your life. You _have_ made terrible choices, but you can make different ones  _now._ You can CHOOSE to continue being Kylo Ren. You can CHOOSE to be Ben Solo, or anything you want. Every choice you make that's different from the ones you made in the past puts you on a different path, a different destiny."

Desperate to make him understand, Rey reached out and laid her hand on his flushed face. "Ben Solo is, and has always been enough all by himself. You need to believe that and let the past die," she whispered his own words back to him. 

He stiffened at her touch, and Rey froze, suddenly feeling foolish. She bit her lip as he did nothing but stare at her for a few seconds until she felt like screaming at the awkwardness. She started to lower her hand, embarrassed, but in the next moment she felt the leather of his gloves against her palm as he caught her hand in his. 

"Rey," he whispered hoarsely as her heart slammed in her chest. He was looking at her with such.....longing. Like a man dying of thirst in the Jakku desert who had finally found the spring near her village. He stepped closer to her until she could feel the heat of his nearness envelope her. She closed her eyes as she felt his breath on her cheek. 

She leaned into him and felt his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against him. She placed her head on his chest and felt the thud of his heart against her ear. She snaked her own arms around his waist and felt relief wash over her at his touch. . Neither of them spoke because it wasn't necessary. 

Rey could hear his thoughts, and knew he could hear hers. 

_You're the only person I can have this with,_ she told him. His arms around her clutched even tighter and she smiled through her tears.

_You don't ever have to be alone again,_ he echoed in her thoughts. 

_Neither do you,_ she promised. 

They stayed that way in the silence of the interrogation room, wrapped in each other's arms, their breathing synchronizing in rhythm.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo POV

Kylo-or Ben-straightened after a moment. 

Rey looked up and found his face  _very_  close to hers. 

"Rey.." he began. Her eyes instantly dropped to his mouth. It was full, and she wondered how it would feel if he leaned forward and touched it to hers. 

He seemed to be thinking the same thing, because in the next second he tipped her chin and lowered his face to hers slowly, as if silently waiting for her permission to continue.

Rey closed her eyes and waited to feel his lips on hers.

And jumped out of her skin when the intercom in the small room buzzed loudly. 

The sound startled Kylo as well, and he turned bright red as Hux's voice echoed through the chamber. 

"Supreme Leader, are you finished with your interrogation? There's something you should see on the bridge." 

“I’ll be there shortly General Hux,” he replied through gritted teeth.

The spell was broken. He turned back to her and his eyes bore into hers, searching. He seemed unsure, and the wariness he had entered the chamber with was back in place.

“Will you come back?” Rey asked, hating the tremor in her voice, but needing to know.

“I will.” He turned and strode through the room before she could look into his eyes again for assurance, his steps echoing behind him. The doors closed behind him, and once again she was alone.

As goosebumps raised on her arms, Rey remembered that she was still in the interrogation room, and that she was on the ship to negotiate a truce with the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

She sat down cross legged on the metal floor and tried to relax, closing her eyes. She needed to meditate and prepare for the conversation she would need to have with him when he returned. She had come into this room expecting to be tortured, and now she was unbound, and in even more danger than before.

Because she could no longer deny the fact that she cared for the conflicted Supreme Leader, and had been thinking about kissing him when she should’ve been thinking about how to save the Resistance from this war.

Rey bit her lip, trying to piece together her jumbled thoughts. She needed a plan _fast,_ before he returned.

*******

Kylo Ren strode through the corridor, silently cursing at himself for his weakness. He had gone into the torture chamber intent on showing Rey that he wouldn’t be defeated again, only to end up falling under her spell.

Had she purposely distracted him, or did she truly care for him?

His steps slowed as he remembered her eyes. He had seen something in them when she spoke to him, a yearning that matched what he felt as he listened to her words.

“ _…let the past die.”_

And then she’d reached out to touch him. The warmth of her hand on his cheek had startled him. It felt like a jolt of electricity that spread a heat through him. He had felt drawn to her, like a moth to a flame, and the only thought he had was to surround himself with her warmth, her light.

He had taken her into his arms, and the feeling of relief and wonder that had washed through him as he wrapped his arms around her had almost overwhelmed him.

He had almost kissed her.

What was happening? Was she playing him for a fool? Was this some elaborate ploy to get him to agree to a cease-fire with the Resistance?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted. Until he knew her true motives, he would have to stay away from her.

He thought of her in the chamber, cold and alone. He’d told her he would come back.

_It doesn’t matter. I have to stay in control. I’m Supreme Leader now, not some child in a mask._

He suddenly remembered the day he had found her in the forest on Takodana, the fear in her eyes as she shot her blaster at him, the wild desperation when she realized he had paralyzed her.

He pushed the image away, steeling himself against the now-familiar yearning for her.

_Focus,_ he told himself. He resumed his path to the bridge.

All he needed to do was focus.


	5. Chapter 5

5 hours later, Kylo Ren bolted upright in bed, his heart pounding.

He tried to calm his breathing, running a hand through his hair. 

He had been dreaming, but the images hadn’t made sense.  All he could remember was the metallic taste of fear in his mouth. 

He remembered voices. They had been dark, and taunting.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember what he had heard, but all he could remember was the fear. 

Lying back on the bed, Kylo tried to close his eyes and go to sleep, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. 

Sighing as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, he peered over at his chronometer on the table next to his bed. 

He should be using what little time he had left to sleep. 

Instead he had the sudden urge to check on Rey. 

He shrugged on a shirt and pulled on his pants quickly. His boots were on his feet in the next minute and his door swished open as he strode through into the corridor leading to the cells in the lower part of the ship. Stormtroopers were stationed at each end of the hallway, but he barely spared them a glance as he quickly scanned the hallways for anything out of place. 

He heard voices as he rounded the last corner before the cells where Rey was being held. 

“....never supposed to become Supreme Leader. He called him a child in a mask.”

His heart began to pound again, and he slowed his steps as he crept closer and listened. 

“What are your orders then, General Hux?” Hux was speaking to Captain Phasma then. 

“He has become a liability. He is too weak to rule. His benevolence makes the First Order appear as weak as he is. …….” more words, muffled. 

And then, “....we move at dawn.”

“Will he be taken prisoner or executed?” There was a long pause. 

“He is too powerful for us to leave alive. He should be executed upon arrest.”

“Yes sir. And the girl?” 

“She’ll give us the location of the Resistance once we’ve set the torture droid on her for a few hours. I’m sure of it. I’ve already started the process.” 

“Very good sir.” Their voices became more distant as their footsteps receded from the hallway. 

Kylo waited a few minutes after they had gone, then stepped into the hallway where Rey’s cell was. There were two stormtroopers stationed inside her cell.  

His heart sank. How long had they been torturing her? She was unconscious, and blood trickled from the side of her mouth. Anger swiftly took the place of fear, and he felt the bloodlust in his veins as he approached.

“I didn’t any torture droids to be set on the girl. . I’m not finished with her!” 

The two troopers looked at one another. 

“S-sorry sir. General Hux ordered us to-”

He took his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, advancing on them menacingly. 

“I gave strict orders that  _ I _ would extract the location’s Resistance from her, and no one else!” 

The troopers scrambled to the door, mumbling apologies. 

As soon as they were gone, Kylo Ren went to Rey and went to the table where Rey was strapped down. He quickly undid the straps and took her in his arms. 

She remained unconscious as he dropped to one knee, taking her chin in his hands. 

“Rey?” Her face rolled to the side. Her face looked so pale, she looked dead. 

“Rey!” He called louder, patting her face none too gently. His hands trembled and his heart raced has he fumbled to remove his gloves. 

He placed two fingers to the column of her throat, the fear he felt from his earlier dream tearing at him.

If he was too late, if he lost her for good this time-

There. Faint, but there nonetheless, her pulse thrummed against his fingertips. 

He didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath, and it rushed out as he dropped his head,  a dizzying sense of relief washing over him. 

He quickly looked to the hallway, searching mentally with his feelings. The stormtroopers were still in the hallway. He needed to get Rey to his chamber without them knowing and find a way to wake her up. 

He stalked out into the hallway towards the two troopers stationed at the end, reaching out with his feelings into their minds. 

THey stared at him in confusion and terror as he approached, holding their hands up. 

“Supreme Leader-” one of them began.

“ _ You will send a medical droid to my chamber and tell no one of this conversation.”  _

He didn’t utter a word out loud, just stared carefully into their eyes. 

They both blinked at him and turned around simultaneously, leaving the hallway. 

He rushed back into Rey’s torture chamber and quickly gathered her into his arms. Her head rolled against his chest. He held her more firmly and made his way down the hallway to the elevator that led to his floor. 

He had chosen a different part of the ship to be his quarters. Snoke’s former chamber still reminded him of what he had suffered at the hands of his former mentor. 

His steward had retired to his own chamber for the night, so there was no one who saw him as he stepped from the elevator directly into the outer chamber of his quarters. 

The door to his bedchamber whooshed open and he gently set Rey down. 

He examined her closely. 

Some of the color had returned to her face, but she was still unconscious. 

He reached out and placed his hand close to her face, closing his eyes and concentrating on probing her awake. 

At first, he encountered nothing but a haze. He probed deeper still and felt her fear and panic as the images of Hux’s sneer and the needle of the torture droid flashed across his mind. 

_ I’m here Rey,  _ he spoke into her mind.  _  Don’t be afraid.  _

Her eyes twitched and she jerked her head to the side, mumbling something he couldn’t make out. 

_ Rey, wake up. Stay with- _

With a gasp Rey jerked upright, her breath rattling through her lungs as if she was struggling to breathe. 

Alarmed, he stood. 

“Rey?” 

She looked around in confusion, then blinked when her gaze found his. 

“Ben?” She looked around again. “Where am I?”

He sat again, cautiously, and took one of her hands in his. 

“Rey, we’re in danger,” he said with urgency in his voice. “We need to leave now. Hux is planning to overthrow me.” 

He could see her working to understand his words. “Overthrow you? How? You’re the Supreme-”

“He commands the army, they follow his orders. He’s convinced Phasma to help him.  _  We can’t stay here,”  _  he finished quickly, getting back up and walking to his closet in long strides. He pulled out a pack and began stuffing it with shirts and food rations. 

Just then the door to his chamber opened. 

Kylo’s eyes narrowed as he went to the door, hand held out in front of him as he stood with his legs apart. 

“You called for medical assistance, Supreme Leader?” A medical droid chirped loudly as it entered the room. 

Kylo dropped his hand and let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Uh..yes. I need antiseptics and two survival medpacs.” 

“Yes sir.” The droid extracted the supplies from the compartment in its abdomen. 

“WIll that be all Supreme Leader?” 

“Yes, for now. You can go.” He followed the droid to the door and watched it leave and roll down the hallway. 

All he needed to do now was figure out how to get them off this ship alive. 


	6. Rey POV

Ben-that’s how she thought of him now- turned back to Rey.

She was still sitting on his bed and feeling very, very nauseous all of a sudden.

He crossed the room to her. “Are you alright?” he asked gently. His gaze lingered on her face like a caress. There was something intense in his eyes as he assessed her.

“I’m...I’ll be fine.”

“What happened in the room with Hux?”

Rey shuddered. “He sent the torture droid. I was trying to send a project of myself to Leia…”

Her gaze dropped down to her hands. “I wasn’t strong enough. So I passed out.”

“It’s a miracle you’re still alive then,” Ben murmured. His fingers brushed her cheek for a moment, then dropped down to his side on the bed.

Rey bit her lip as she fought the urge to touch the place where his hands had been. What was wrong with her? Why was she constantly swooning every time he happened to touch her?

“Do you think you’ll be able to walk, or run if we have to?” he frowned as he assessed her.

“I’ll be fine,” Rey responded quickly. “I’m sure it’ll pass. Do you have a plan for escape?”

He lifted a brow. “No, I was too busy trying to keep you alive.”

Rey blushed at the reminder.  He had saved her life again, which made it harder to think of him as her enemy.  “Thanks for that.” Then she cleared her throat. “Do you have a map of the ship on hand?” she asked.

He stood and crossed the room, serious again. After a moment he opened a holomap of the ship.

“There are only two hallways to the hangar, and both of them are well guarded. We’ll have to figure out a way to distract them, or destroy them all without getting ourselves shot,” Ben said.

Rey stood and made her way to the holomap. Her stomach shifted as she took the first few steps and she paused, taking a deep breath.  Her stomach steadied after a moment and she joined him at the map.

“Maybe we don’t have to do either.” He glanced at her.

“We could pretend I gave you the location of the Resistance, and that you’re going with me to verify that it’s true.” He looked at her without saying a word, waiting for her to continue.

“We could talk a few stormtroopers with us, go to a random planet, then leave them there and go somewhere else…..” she trailed off as she contemplated where they could possibly go that the First Order couldn’t find them.

“Hux wants to arrest and execute me. He’ll raise concerns about the Supreme Leader escorting a hostage instead of having him or Captain Phasma do it,” Ben rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He started pacing back and forth.

“Couldn’t we use the Force to put up some sort of shield around ourselves as we escape?” Rey asked, watching him walk around the room. It seemed to shrink as his large frame paced like a caged tiger. It was too distracting, so she took a moment to study the rest of his chamber.

It was a spartan space, mostly empty except for a large bed covered with a luxurious gray fur, a window that stretched across most of one wall, and a bookshelf. There was a door that Rey assumed led to a closet, and an open door that she could see led to a refresher.

It seemed like a place he only came to out of necessity, to sleep and shower.

Something on the bookcase caught her eye and she went over to get a closer look. As she moved closer, Rey realized she was looking at the remains of what used to be a helmet. Picking it up, she studied it in confusion. Was this Ben’s old mask? It looked very similar, but it seemed to be much older than the one he’d worn on the Starkiller Base.

Why is he carrying around an old, crushed-up helmet? she wondered as she turned it slowly in her hands.

Suddenly the room around her fell away as a wrenching pain seized her head. She cried out as a weight seemed to crush her very soul. She felt the agony of regret, anger, and loss fill her. She opened her mouth to scream in fright, but found herself unable to take a breath. Panic seized her as the darkness swallowed her. She was dying…..

“.....Rey, are you alright?” Ben’s voice sounded far away, like he was at the end of a tunnel. His voice sounded worried, insistent. But she couldn’t respond…

“REY!”

Slowly, the darkness lifted, and she could breathe again. Rey realized she was on the floor of Ben’s chamber. He leaned over her, his forehead beaded in sweat and creased in concern.  

“What happened?” She asked, her voice shaking. She could still feel the remnants of the darkness that had crushed her moments before.

“You weren’t supposed to touch it!” Kylo said, anger in his voice. “Why did you touch it?”

Rey remembered that she had been examining the old helmet on his shelf before...before the darkness had consumed her.

She sat up slowly, rubbing her hands over her face. “What is that thing? All I did was-

“You had no right to touch it,” he said through clenched teeth. He snatched it off floor by her feet and set it on the shelf.

She rolled her eyes at his back. “We’ve yet to come up with a plan,” she reminded him. She would ask him more about that helmet once they were safely off this blasted ship.

 


End file.
